Solver Manager

Note: While you can use the Solver Manager to run a single design scenario analysis, it is best used for running a set of two or more design scenario solutions. The Solver Manager is also useful for scheduling analyses to run at a future date and time, and for setting MES restart parameters. The Run Simulation command does not give you the chance to extend (append) or resume (continue) a previously run MES solution. However, the Solver Manager does provide MES restart options.

The Solver Manager dialog box consists of a table listing the design scenarios in the model along with certain solution parameters. That table and the additional buttons and data fields in the dialog box are described as follows:

• Design Scenario Table:
  • Include in Solution Set: The checkbox in this column is used to include or exclude each design scenario in the solution set. Deactivate the checkbox to prevent the design scenario in that row from being solved.
  • Status: This column indicates the status of the associated design scenario. The possible messages are Preparing, Running, Finished, Failed, and Canceled. The same status messages appear next to the Design Scenario headings in the Browser.
  • Design Scenario: This column lists the name and number of each design scenario in the model.
  • Target Computer: Choose whether to run the solution on the Cloud (360 version only) or on the local Computer. For the desktop version of Simulation Mechanical, Computer is the only choice, since all solutions are run locally.
  • Start Time: You can manually specify a future start date and time when a given job will be started. Click in one of the Start Time cells to reveal the following contents:
    • Activate the checkbox at the left end of the Start Time column to schedule a specific start date and time. The priority column will be disabled when a design scenario is scheduled.
    • Initially, the current date and time are displayed in the middle of the Start Time column. Click on the year, month, day, hours, minutes, or seconds values to select them. Then, type in the desired number. Time is based on the 24-hour format (for example, 14:30:00 represents 2:30 PM).
    • Click on the calendar icon at the right end of the Start Time column to access a pop-up calendar. Use the forward and backward arrows to navigate to a different month, if desired. Click the date when you want the solution to start. The calendar will close and the indicated date will be updated.
    Important: Use the Check Model command prior to the scheduled start time of a design scenario to solid mesh all applicable parts. When running a job from the user interface, solid meshing occurs automatically, if not already completed. However, when a job is run from the Task Scheduler, solid meshing is not performed automatically. The analysis will not be successful if the model has never been checked (or previously solved) since the last time it was surface meshed.

    See the Schedule Analyses page for more information.

  • Submit Priority: Specifies a relative priority for each design scenario solution, with one being the highest (or first) priority. When a scheduled start time is specified, the Priority value is disabled (a dash appears instead of a number).

    If sufficient computer resources are available, several solutions can run concurrently. This is true even if the solutions have different priority settings. However, if computer resources are limited, a low priority job will not be started before a high priority job starts.

    Note: The Submit Priority setting does not ensure that a prerequisite job is finished before a dependent job is submitted to the Mechanical Simulation Job Manager. This setting affects the order in which jobs are submitted from the Solver Manager to the Mechanical Simulation Job Manager. Once there, the jobs all have an equal priority unless you modify the settings within the Mechanical Simulation Job Manager user interface. When one job is dependent upon the results of another job, the best methods for ensuring that they execute in the proper sequence are:
    • Schedule the two jobs to run sequentially, providing an adequate lag time for the first job to finish before the second one starts.
    • Run the simulations one at a time using the Run Simulation command.
  • Notifications: Activate this checkbox to receive job status notifications via E-mail. This feature is applicable only to the 360 version of the product. Notification options are set up using the Analysis Analysis Notifications command. Click here for more information.
  • Option: For applicable nonlinear analysis types, an MES Restart button will appear in this column. Click the button to see the Solver Option dialog box, which contains the following items:
    • Resume: Activate this checkbox to resume a nonlinear analysis that was interrupted before it finished. It will continue from the last converged time step. Also, activate this checkbox if you want to extend the duration of the simulation event beyond what was originally specified in the analysis parameters.
      Note: Resuming a solution will likely fail if the prior solution attempt was canceled (or a power failure occurred) while temporary files were being written.
    • Total Analysis Duration: You cannot edit this value. The analysis duration is specified in the Event tab of the analysis parameters. You can also modify the total duration using an Extend Total By value (next item).
    • Extend Total By: Enter a length of time in this field to increase the event duration beyond what you originally specified in the analysis parameters. For example, you may want to see more of what happens as a structure continues to vibrate after an impact load has been applied and removed. Another example is extending a drop test event to see subsequent bounces of the object.
• Select All: Click this button to activate the Include in Solution Set option for all design scenarios.
• Unselect All: Click this button to deactivate the Include in Solution Set option for all design scenarios.
• User Name and Password: Microsoft Windows® scheduling services are used to perform the job scheduling tasks in the Solver Manager. This service requires your Windows® user account name and password. If your computer belongs to a domain, include the domain in the User Name field. (The format is domain\user.)
• Analyze: Click this button to start running the solution set. Scheduled jobs will start when the specified dates and times arrive.
• Cancel: Click this button to exit the Solver Manager without starting the solution set.

Multiple Design Scenario Example

This example demonstrates what the Solver Manager can and cannot do. Suppose you have a model for which you want to determine the following results:

1. Natural frequencies and mode shapes (Modal analysis)
2. Response to a harmonic load (Frequency Response analysis)
3. Temperatures resulting from a given heat input (Steady-State Heat Transfer analysis)
4. Stresses and displacements due to weight, static loads, and thermal expansion (Linear Static Stress analysis)

Important: This example reveals one limitation of running multiple design scenarios. Assume that you want to specify a particular design scenario within a model as a source of temperatures for a stress analysis. You cannot setup the stress analysis before the thermal analysis solution is finished. Therefore, Design Scenario 4 cannot be set up to run in the same batch as scenarios 1 through 3. Please see the Multiphysics Considerations when Scheduling Analyses section of the Schedule Analyses page for more information.

Note: In our example, the modal analysis job must be completed before running the frequency response solution. However, you can fully set up the frequency response analysis before running the modal analysis. We will use the Start Time parameters to help insure the proper execution order.

Recommended Workflow:

1. Set up the Design Scenario 1 as a Linear Natural Frequency (Modal) analysis. Mesh the model and check the model so that the solid (internal) mesh is generated. This will save analysis time because the subsequent design scenarios will already be fully meshed when they are created.
2. Set up Design Scenario 2 as a Linear Frequency Response analysis. By default, linear dynamics analyses will assume that the modal results are located in Design Scenario 1. This assumption works for our example, but the source of modal results can be easily changed to suit other design scenario schemes.
3. Set up Design Scenario 3 as a Thermal Steady-State Heat Transfer analysis.
4. Click the Analysis Analysis Solver Manager command.
   1. Ensure that Design Scenarios 1 through 3 are activated in the Include in Solution Set column.
   2. Schedule Design Scenario 2 to start at a later time. For example, assume that you expect the modal analysis to take 15-minutes to finish. Therefore, schedule the frequency response analysis to start in 30-minutes or more from the present time.
   3. Click the Analyze button.
5. After the first three design scenarios have been solved, set up Design Scenario 4 as a Linear Static Stress with Linear Material Models analysis. Specify the thermal results from Design Scenario 3 as the source of nodal temperatures.
6. Click the Analysis Analysis Run Simulation command to run the thermal analysis.